Source: SKY_Sports
Brown plays down Manucho talk
Hull City boss Phil Brown insists he will wait until the end of the season before considering a permanent bid for on-loan striker Manucho.
The Angola forward is with the Tigers for the season from Manchester United and was on target in last weekend's disappointing 3-1 defeat at Middlesbrough.
It had been reported that Brown was planning to make an offer to the Red Devils for Manucho, but the KC Stadium boss claims that is not the case.
"There is nothing in that from our point of view," Brown said. "He is on loan and we will see how it goes at the end of the season.
"There are a plethora of great strikers playing in Manchester United's reserves at the moment and Manucho was struggling to get in there."
Brown has handed Manucho a place in his starting XI for the past four games and he will again be involved in Saturday's crucial clash with fellow strugglers Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
He said: "As far as we are concerned he is just starting to show signs he can play at this level and, more importantly, score goals.
"The more games he plays, hopefully the more goals he will score. He has got a big part to play in the game on Saturday, that is for sure."
Brown is hoping Daniel Cousin (back) and Bernard Mendy (foot) will be fit for the trip to Wearside as they look to halt their slide towards the drop zone.
But captain Ian Ashbee will miss the trip to the Stadium of Light after the midfielder picked up his 10th booking of the season, for dissent, at Middlesbrough.
The 32-year-old conceded: "I contested a decision I shouldn't have and lost my cool a little bit.
"That was unprofessional and probably shouldn't be happening from me."
Brown added: "Over the last seven years he has played a massive part in the history of this football club, so to take himself out of the equation for two of the last six games was unexpected from my point of view.
"Had he gone through someone and got a 10th booking for being physical I would have accepted that as opposed to dissent."
